Skelp-charging bench.



WITNESSES W. F. CLARK.

SKBLP CHARGING BENCH.

APPLICATION IILED DEO.6,1912.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR W. F. CLARK.

SKELP CHARGING BENCH.

APPLIOATION rum) DEC. 0, 1912.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES WILLIAM F. CLARK, 0F CQBAOPOLIS, PENNSYLVANIA.

SKELP-CHARGING BENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 6, 1912.. Serial No. 735,347.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Coraopolis, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Skelp- Charging Benches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- -Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a bench showin one form of my improvement, and in which I have also shown a portion of a furnace in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the charging bench shown in 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line IIIII of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4: is a sectional view on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

This invention relates to benches for charging into a furnace long thin pieces of skelp, which are comparatively light and which cannot be charged into a furnace by means of ordinary roll tables, as its weight is insufficient to obtain suflicient traction between the rolls and the skelp. When using the ordinary roll tables the skelp is moved into the furnace rather slowly; and when a portion of the skelp engages the hearth of the furnace, there will not-be sufficient tractionbetween it and the rolls to overcome the friction on the hearth of the furnace. I overcome this by the use of a bench having a plurality of rolls which extend slightly above the bottom of the charging trough, with an electromagnet interposed between them and acting to increase the traction between the rolls and the skelp, so that the latter will be immediately moved at a high rate of speed when it engages the rolls, and such speed will be maintained until after the skelp has passed the last roll.

The precise nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made in the details of construction and general arrangement of the parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, the numeral 2 designates the frame work of the charging bench, which is supported on wheels 3 engaging the tracks 4. i

5 designates a rack on the frame 2 on which the skelp 6 to be charged into the furnace 7 is stacked.

Supported on the frame work 2 and at the side of the rack 5 is a charging trough 8.

9 indicates charging rolls journaled in bearings on the frame 2 below the trough 8, and extending slightly above the bottom of the trough, the trough being cut away at this portion for the reception of the rolls. In the drawings I have shown two sets of rolls, each set containing three individual rolls. Each ofthese rolls is provided with a spindle 10, having a bevel gear 11 connected to its end.

12 is a longitudinally extending shaft mounted in bearings supported on the frame 2, and 13 are bevel gear wheels connected to the shaft and which mesh with the gear wheels 10, so that all of the rolls 9 will be rotated in the same direction by the shaft 12. Connected to the end of this shaft 12 is a gear wheel 14 which meshes with a pinion 15 on the shaft of a driving motor 16.

1717 designate electromagnets which are mounted between the rolls 9. I have shown two sets of magnets, one for each set of rolls 9, and each of which has two ole pieces 17, which extend upwardly between the rolls 9.

18 are sheets of brass or other non-magnetic material connected to the upper faces of the pole pieces 17 so that the skel 6 will not engage the pole pieces when t e end thereof passes the rolls 9.

l9 desl ates a motor which is geared in any suita le manner to the shafts 20 of the supporting wheel 3 to move the table along the tracks 4.-.

The charging table is moved to a point in front of the furnace, and one of the pieces of skelp is moved from the rack 5 to the trough 8. As the skelp reaches the trough and engages the rolls 9, the magnets, which receive their energy from any convenient source, will draw the skelp downwardly against the rolls 9, so that it will immediately travel at a high rate of speed toward the openingof the furnace. The speed of the traveling skelp will be rapidly increased until it reaches the speed .of the rolls 9; and although the skelp will engage the hearth of the furnace, the frictional engagement will not be sufficient to materially reduce its speed of travel, as it will be held tightly against the surface of the rollers adjacent to Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

the hearth, and sutiicient traction will be maintained between it and the rolls to shoot it into the furnace.

I claim:

1. A skelp charging bench, having a longitudinally extending trough for receiving the skelp, and a plurality of transversely extending rollers journaled below the trough and extending above the bottom thereof, together with an clectromagnet between said rollers for maintaining traction between the skelp and the rollers; substantially as described.

2. A skelp charging bench, having a longitudinally extending trough for receiving the skelp, a plurality of transverse rollers below the trough and extending above the bottom thereof, an eleotromagnet between said rollers for holding the skelp in engagement with the rollers, and means for moving the bench in a transverse direction; substantially as described.

3. A skelp charging bench, having a longitudinally extending trough for receiving the skelp, said trough having an opening between its ends, three rollers journaled below said opening, gearing for rotating said rollers, and an electromagnet having two polepieces which extend between ad acent rollers; substantially as described.

4. A skelp charging bench,having a frame supported on wheels, a motor connected to said wheels for moving the bench transversely, a trough supported on said bench, there being an opening in said trough, a plurality of rollers journaled on the bench frame below the trou h, said rollers projecting upwardly into the opening above the bottom of the trough, a longitudinally extendin shaft journaled in the frame, gears on sai shaft for rotating the rolls, means for rotating the longitudinal shaft, and electromagnets having (pole-pieces extending upwardly between a jacent rollers; substantially as described.-

5. A skelp charging bench, having feed rollers, and traction magnets adjacent to said rollers; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

W'ILLIAM F. CLARK. Witnesses:

J- M. HALL, H. W. WILSON. 

